Suigetsu Monogatari
by cinnamonblood
Summary: Suigetsu isn't going to let a silly myth keep him from swimming in the grotto. Surprise pairing.


Hebi – or Taka or Akatsuki or whatever the hell they were calling themselves now – had finally made camp for the day. The nearby grotto was the most welcoming thing Suigetsu had seen all week.

"I'm not sure I'd go in there," Karin said.

"Why not?" Suigetsu said.

"Don't you know where we are?" Karin said. "That's Yoshimoto Grotto. It's famous in this part of the country. They say anyone who goes swimming there at night will die."

"Oh, really?" Suigetsu said. "And why is that?"

"They say a long time ago a woman drowned herself in that grotto because her lover left her for someone else. Her ghost is still there, and if anyone goes swimming in the grotto after sundown, she'll grab them and pull them under the water."

"They also say it wasn't really a suicide," Jugo added. "Some people say that her lover murdered her there, and _then_ ran off with another woman, and that's why she haunts the place."

"They also say none of that is actually true, and it's really just popular make-out spot for the local teenagers," Sasuke said. Everyone looked at him. "What?"

"Anyway," Karin continued. "The place looks really creepy. I wouldn't take any chances."

"Aw, come on," Suigetsu said. "You don't really believe in that stuff, do you, Karin?"

"Listen!" Karin said indignantly, pushing her glasses further up her nose. "I saw more than my fair share of weird things with Orochimaru. I wouldn't rule out the possibility."

Suigetsu thought that over for a minute. "Okay, you have a point there, but I don't have to worry about any of that stuff. I mean, come on, _I can't drown_!"

"That may be true," Karin said, "but I still wouldn't want to be grabbed by some dead lady. But you do as you like."

"I will," Suigetsu said, peeling off his shirt and heading for the water. The sky was still orange with the last rays of fading light, but soon it would be dark.

* * *

The water was cool and refreshing. Suigetsu leaned back on a rock and listened to the gentle sounds of night. The tiny splashes the water made against the stones, the distant sound of voices around the campfire on the beach, the scratch of some small creature, probably a crab. Ah, yes, this was just what Suigetsu needed. Imagine how many people missed out on this because of the silly locals and their ridiculous myths. They should be more concerned about _him_ lurking in their grotto. He was the real terror in the water. Suigetsu laughed quietly to himself, his voice echoing off the stone walls.

_Splash._

Suigetsu's voice echoed off the stone for a moment after he'd stopped laughing. Probably a fish, he thought. If it came near him, maybe he could catch it and bring it back to the others for dinner. Yes, there was certainly nothing in the water besides himself and fish. If there was one thing Suigetsu knew about, it was-

Something rapidly moved past him in the water. It was too dark now to see the ripples on the surface, but he'd felt the current of something go by. If that was fish, it was huge.

Suigetsu gripped a rock and remained motionless for a moment, listening to every sound around him. No, it was just a fish. It couldn't have been anything else, and he felt ridiculous for even thinking so. Stupid Karin and her stupid stories. Even if she had been right, a boy who could turn into water had no fear of drowning, so what's the worst that could happen?

Suigetsu flinched as something brushed against his leg. Water grass, he told himself, trying not to think about long black hair floating in murky depths.

_I still wouldn't want to be grabbed by some dead lady!_ Karin's voice rang in his head. Goosebumps broke out on Suigetsu's skin. Just the cold night air, he told himself. There was nothing at all to get freaked out over.

The strong current moved past him again. Suigetsu let out a small gasp. That couldn't have been a fish. What else could it have been? It certainly wasn't a ghost. Those old stories were a bunch of nonsense. Suigetsu didn't believe in stuff like that. It was absurd. It was laughable. It was-

Something grabbed his leg.

* * *

Karin and Jugo immediately looked to the grotto when they heard the scream, but Sasuke just watched the fire, unconcerned.

"Stay where you are," Sasuke said, not even looking up.

"But I heard him scream!" Karin said.

"Suigetsu is fine," Sasuke said, poking at the fish on sticks before him. "Just sit down and eat your dinner."

Jugo watched the grotto. "But…"

"Don't worry about it," Sasuke said.

* * *

Within the grotto, on a large flat rock, Suigetsu sat and shivered.

"Y-you…"

Beside him, Kisame lay flat on his back, laughing so hard he could barely breathe.

"I _hate_ you!" Suigetsu said. He wrapped his arms around his knees, which unfortunately only made him look smaller and more scared than he already looked.

Eventually Kisame stopped laughing long enough to speak. "Come on… Can't you take a joke?"

Suigetsu refused to even look at Kisame.

"Aww," Kisame said. "You're cute when you're angry."

"Am not," Suigetsu muttered.

Kisame moved close and put his arms around Suigetsu, who tried to shrug him off.

"Oh, no, you don't," Kisame said, pulling him back. "You're freezing."

Suigetsu did not protest the second time. He really was cold, and Kisame, damn him, was unreasonably warm. He didn't even mind the fingers in his hair. "Adorable," Kisame whispered.

"I still hate you," Suigetsu whispered, fingers trailing across the markings on Kisame's face.

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Kisame said, leaning down and catching Suigetsu's mouth in a kiss.

* * *

Karin looked up from her dinner when a loud moan echoed from the grotto.

"Just ignore him," Sasuke said.

Karin looked confused, but did as she was told. Sasuke smiled so faintly it might have been a trick of the firelight. He'd been right about the grotto.


End file.
